Language is made up of socially shared rules that include the following:

• What words mean (e.g., "star" can refer to a bright object in the night sky or a celebrity)

• How to make new words (e.g., friend, friendly, unfriendly)

• How to put words together (e.g., "Peg walked to the new store" rather than "Peg walk store new")

• What word combinations are best in what situations ("Would you mind moving your foot?" could quickly change to "Get off my foot, please!" if the first request did not produce results)

When a person has trouble understanding others (receptive language), or sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings completely (expressive language), then he or she has a language disorder.

Pragmatics involve three major communication skills:

• Using language for different purposes, such as

  • greeting (e.g., hello, goodbye)

  • informing (e.g., I'm going to get a cookie)

  • demanding (e.g., Give me a cookie)

  • promising (e.g., I'm going to get you a cookie)

  • requesting (e.g., I would like a cookie, please)

• Changing language according to the needs of a listener or situation, such as

  • talking differently to a baby than to an adult

  • giving background information to an unfamiliar listener

  • speaking differently in a classroom than on a playground

• Following rules for conversations and storytelling, such as

  • taking turns in conversation

  • introducing topics of conversation

  • staying on topic

  • rephrasing when misunderstood

  • how to use verbal and nonverbal signals

  • how close to stand to someone when speaking

  • how to use facial expressions and eye contact

An individual with pragmatic problems may:

• say inappropriate or unrelated things during conversations

• tell stories in a disorganized way

• have little variety in language use

It is not unusual for children to have pragmatic problems in only a few situations. However, if problems in social language use occur often and seem inappropriate considering the child's age, a pragmatic disorder may exist. Pragmatic disorders often coexist with other language problems such as vocabulary development or grammar. Pragmatic problems can lower social acceptance. Peers may avoid having conversations with an individual with a pragmatic disorder.

Speech is the verbal means of communicating. Speech consists of the following:

Articulation

How speech sounds are made (e.g., children must learn how to produce the "r" sound in order to say "rabbit" instead of "wabbit").

Voice

Use of the vocal folds and breathing to produce sound (e.g., the voice can be abused from overuse or misuse and can lead to hoarseness or loss of voice).

Fluency

The rhythm of speech (e.g., hesitations or stuttering can affect fluency).

Courtesy of asha.org